While Chicago has a reputation as a punk and hip hop town, there's still an active metal scene within the Windy City with some great gems that haven’t gotten nearly enough exposure. Even though Chicago may not have the same metal cred that Boston and Seattle have today, there is still a rawness and experimentation to Chicago metal fused into the scene's bloodstream. Less accessible than Gothenburg and nowhere near as technical as Montreal but certainly not lacking in creativity, the Chcago metal scene's mix of grittiness and experimentation has produced everything from Hewhocorrupts to Ministry to Nachtmystium and that same aesthetic is still alive in 2011 in any number of as yet undiscovered bands.

Now, as part of the Unearthing the Metal Underground series, Metal Underground.com presents three underground Chicago bands that deserve way more exposure and attention than they currently receive.

Blood of the Tyrant

Sounding like the bastard child of Black Sabbath and Mastodon, Blood of the Tyrant is an excellent example of progressive doom metal. While still only having one release to its name, released in 2008, Blood of the Tyrant is still one of Chicago's best unsigned bands, known for epic song lengths, impressive guitar solos and surprisingly energetic take on doom metal.